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Thursday, December 31, 2015

As a child New Year’s Eve was the coolest time ever. I
got to stay up later than any other night. I would see the ball drop and watch
Dick Clark’s Rockin New Year’s Party. Then when it was all done one network
always won the right to air a “never before seen on movie on TV.” It always
came from the theater and it was amazing.

Every New Year’s Eve we’d order Chinese Food. I don’t know
why that ever became a tradition but it did. I’d eat it throughout the night.
My mother, on top of all the Chinese, would make pigs in a blanket, a cheese
roll, her crab salad, and a million other things. Anyone who was there was in
for a feast.

Some years we had a full house. We’d play a ridiculous
amount of board games from Balderdash to Trivial Pursuit. There was Charades
and music. I remember giggling as my dad
danced with my mom in our family room.

We would all count down, I’d take a sip of champagne, gag
because I thought it was vile. Some people would eat a piece of herring… again,
gag. No! Then we went outside on our deck with noise makers. We let the whole
neighborhood know it was a new year. As if they didn’t know! My mother always
made me put a dollar in my left shoe and I had to take my first step inside the
house with that foot. It was good luck apparently.

New Year’s Eve, as a child, was one of my most favorite
days. I never understood when my mom would cry when Auld Lang Syne was played.
I saw all the greatness of a new year and because of that I would laugh and
smile.

That is what being a kid is all about. Seeing the
possibilities in a new year. Not looking back. Because you gotta look where you’re
going, not where you’ve been.

As an adult, I see things differently. I cry during Auld
Lang Syne. Because I get that you have to remember. You have to think of all
you’ve lost and appreciate the moments you had them. Only then can you embrace
a new year. Only then can you be that smiling happy kid who believed in the
possibilities of a new year.

I hope you all embrace your inner child this New Year’s
Eve. 2016 is an unwritten book and you have 365 pages to create it. Be the best
author you can be!

Wednesday, December 30, 2015

Roses are red, violets are blue. They tied the knot, what kind of crazy will ensue?
Ryan Keller and Brandon Ford have promised to be Tied Together forever. Seven years later, life is moving along according to their plan. Ryan gave up his job as a television producer to be a stay at home dad to their son, while Brandon works long hours as an OBGYN at the hospital.
With baby number two on the way, life's about to get bumpy when someone from Brandon's abusive past reappears. Fearing Ryan won't understand his feelings, Brandon confides in the handsome male nurse who's always had a thing for the doctor. When Ryan discovers the truth, he's hurt, betrayed, and uncertain if their family is as strong as he believed.

Ryan Keller had it all when he came out in high school; accepting parents, friends and his own credit line for J. Crew. His cocky attitude and good looks got him what he wanted, including samples off the man meat buffet. Then he found his favorite dessert, Brandon. But Brandon wasn’t sending out a rainbow vibe so Ryan was sent to the land that crushes dread, the friend zone.
Brandon Ford was buried so deep down in the closet that clothes from the seventies had a better chance of coming out. His anxieties of acting on his desires could keep a therapist entertained for hours. Even though he did his best to build his emotions out of bricks, it was no use against Ryan’s charms.
Follow Ryan and Brandon’s relationship from high school, to college and beyond to find out if they will be Tied Together.
Warning: No Anaconda Turtles have been harmed in the making of this book.

As a little girl it was always a dream for Z.B. Heller to become She-Ra Princess of Power. Since this dream was unobtainable, she spent what was probably way to long in college trying to "find herself". Becoming an artist scratched the creative itch until the stories in her head were getting to be to loud for her to get anything else accomplished. She lives in St. Louis with her husband, son and Flemish Giant rabbit Chloe. In her spare time she likes to read, stalk celebrities on Twitter and create the type of art that people scratch their heads about.

BLURB: Adam Lancaster can’t imagine how his life could possibly get any better. He’s on the cusp of moving in with his boyfriend, Elijah Langley. Their charge, Kollin Haverty, finally has a loving, stable home environment, and Home for Hope is up and running, keeping over fifteen LGBT youth off the streets at night. One phone call from his birth mother, Jessica Lancaster, is all it takes to unravel Adam’s carefully constructed new life.
Informing Adam his grandfather has died, Jessica expresses remorse for abandoning Adam to the state and begs him for a chance to be part of his life again. Jessica’s true colors eventually shine through her façade, and Adam is devastated all over again when he discovers she is only using him to get her hands on the valuable inheritance his grandfather left him. Jessica’s betrayal forces Adam so far inside his own hell, not even Elijah or Kollin can keep him from abandoning all of his responsibilities and running away. Adam will have to dig deep to find the strength to confront his birth parents, heal once and for all, and earn back his place with his new family.

“Hey, Chloe,” Elijah said as he waltzed into the foyer. He carried two trays. “I brought you a sundae.”
“Oh. Thank you, Elijah,” Chloe said, her wide eyes darting between Adam and Jessica. “How thoughtful.”
“I try every now and then,” he said as he placed both trays on her desk, wriggled one of the cups out for her, and bent down to pick up Adam’s forgotten water bottle. “Did you drop this?” Elijah slid the bottle into Adam’s hand and allowed his fingers to linger against Adam’s. The grin he offered was solely reserved for Adam. Elijah hadn’t noticed Adam’s mother yet. His back had been to her since he walked in the door, but with that small smile, Elijah unknowingly bolstered Adam’s confidence. Adam smiled back.
“Thank you. Maybe Chloe can call someone out here to collect those. There’s someone you need to meet.” Elijah swiveled around to see Adam’s birth mother sitting in the corner. He closed the distance between them and held out his hand with all the confidence of a multimillionaire CEO.
“Hi, there. I’m Elijah Langley. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
Terror written all over her face, Jessica stared at him for a moment and then looked toward Adam.
“This is Jessica… Lancaster.” Adam spoke quietly, but he knew Elijah heard because his entire body tensed. He could imagine the look on Elijah’s face, given the way Jessica quickly averted her eyes.
“Oh.” Elijah dropped his hand and returned to Adam’s side.

DAMN YOU SHELL TAYLOR!

Okay, now on to the review. So, Book one (Redeeming Hope)
kinda sorta ended on a bit of a cliffy. Nothing massively drastic but we were
all GASP! Like everyone, I was eager for book 2!

Resurrecting Hope is a much darker, very emotional, chaotic
ride for your heart & soul.

Adam comes face to face with his past... his biological
mother, Jessica. And she's a horrible, blood sucking, witch of a woman! She's
the puppet master to Adam's puppet and boy does she like to play with him.
She's as bad now as she was when he was a child and it's so heartbreaking to go
through with him.

Adams crawl back inside himself was raw, gritty, and
honestly I ached.

Adams "go to" decision to run away from reality
throws Elijah and Kollin for a loop and the loss they feel is palpable in the
writing. Especially for Kollin.

This is a literary rescue book. You seriously need to strap
in and hold on.

Shell Taylor is a full-time mother of three exuberant and loving kiddos and one fur baby, a tiny but fierce Yorkie-poo named Rocco. As a Christian who practices love, grace, and humility rather than hatred and judgement, she tries her best to instill these same virtues in her rowdy kids. She just recently learned how to crochet to start bombarding new mothers with matching hats and booties. She is a huge Marvel fan and because of the superhero-plastered tees paired with jeans and Chucks has been told when helping out in her son’s classroom that she looks more like the students than a parent. Her favorite way to procrastinate is to binge watch entire seasons on Netflix. Best of all, she’s been married ten years to a man who’s turned out to be everything she never knew she needed.

Monday, December 28, 2015

It’s time for
Random Five! I came up with this idea a couple months ago when I saw an author,
Ben Monopoli, getting nostalgic about one of his books. I thought, “How great
it would be to get the word out on some books I’ve read in my time with everyone
else.” And then of course offering a giveaway to share the book love with all
of you! And so Random five was born. These books are published in all
different years, but all are fabulous, and I highly recommend. So here are this
month’s RANDOM five…

The broken road café
(book1) by T.A. Webb

What happens
when you get everything you've worked for, only to discover it's not what you
really want?

Dan O'Leary worked night and day to finish law school, join a top firm and make
partner, all before the age of 35. He's found a man who swept him off his feet.
And his best friend of twenty years has his back.

Then, one awful day it all comes crashing down around his ears.

Making a fresh start, Dan meets the people of Blue Ridge, Georgia, including
Chief of Police Nick Oliver, and, perhaps, finds a new home. But danger from
his old life follows him and puts not only his life, but that of his new
friends, at risk.

Thanks to fate
and his own lack of good sense, eighteen-year-old Danny Shay is headed into
what looks to be the worst summer of his life. It starts with a minor meltdown
at work that leaves Danny under house arrest with a cast on one leg and an ankle
monitor on the other, courtesy of the San Diego Police Department. On top of
that, he’s battling a chronic case of virginity, with no relief in sight.

Oh, and there’s one more little glitch. A serial killer is stalking the city,
murdering young men. And when strange sounds are heard in the house behind
Danny’s, the neighborhood kids think they’ve found the killer. But not until
Danny learns he's next on the madman's list do things really begin to get
desperate.

Damn! And Danny had plans to come out this summer—maybe even get laid! He
doesn't have time for ankle monitors and serial killers!

Then ginger-haired Luke Jamison moves in next door. Not only does Luke solve a
few of Danny's more urgent problems, he also manages to create a couple more
that Danny never saw coming. Gee. If he can survive it, this summer might not
be so bad after all.

A male
prostitute, a mangy cat, a murder and a maniacal mix-up that threatens his
career, his impending marriage and his life. Nothing is going as planned for
Austin Glass.

Austin — seems to have it all. At least on the surface. A loving fiancee. A
future with the FBI and a healthy sized trust fund. He also has a grin and a
wisecrack for every situation. But the smile he presents to everyone hides a
painful past he’s buried too deeply to remember. And his quips mask bitterness
and insecurity. Austin has himself and most of the whole world fooled. Until he
meets someone who immediately sees him better than he sees himself.

As events unfold and Austin’s world unravels, he finds himself pushed into
making quick life-changing decisions. But can he trust Peter or what’s
happening between them when each meeting seems to be just a series of volatile
reactions?

When yakuza
underboss Shigure Matsunaga meets Kenneth Harris at a boring social event, he’s
surprised to find himself attracted to the blond gaijin with the mismatched
eyes. Shigure is even more pleased when he discovers Ken not only speaks
Japanese fluently, but is fluent in Japan's ways, even the more violent of the
martial arts. Ken’s expertise at kendo is not his most striking quality—it’s
the passion beneath his quiet, almost fragile exterior that ignites Shigure's
lust, and the two come together as explosively as they spar.

Shigure is a dangerous man in a dangerous position. He’s been trying to keep
the peace with the Daito-kai—Shigure's hated rivals—but the danger on the
streets is escalating, threatening those Shigure most wants to protect. He may
claim to love his gaijin, but before he can keep Ken safe, Shigure will have to
overcome hostility from his people, a hidden enemy, and, the most insidious
opponent of all, his own hard-won pride.

After an injury in the ring, amateur boxer Leith Wenz wakes to discover his
most recent memories are three years out of date. Unmoored and struggling to
face his new reality, Leith must cope anew with painful revelations about his
family. His brother is there to support him, but it’s the unfamiliar face of
Zach, a man introduced as his best friend, that provides the calm he craves.
Until Zach’s presence begins to stir up feelings Leith can’t explain.

For Zach, being forgotten by his lover is excruciating. He carefully hides the
truth from Leith to protect them both from additional pain. His bottled-up
turmoil finds release through vlogging, where he confesses his fears and grief
to the faceless Internet. But after Leith begins to open up to him, Zach's
choices may come back to haunt him.

Ultimately, Leith must ask his heart the questions memory can no longer answer.